1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to headgear with a variable head size capability, and more specifically to headgear, such as a cap, hat, or sun-visor, that has a fitted appearance, that has the advantage of maintaining a crown shape and that provides a fitted appearance while wearing, while also being capable of accommodating wearers having a range of head sizes, which is accomplished by providing size accommodation in the front of the headgear with a front piece that inclines toward a center of the crown.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, there are 3 types of caps in the market: fixed size caps, caps with size adjusting devices and free size caps with stretchable gores and a stretchable sweatband. Fixed-size caps fit only one size of the head of the wearer. Since individual size caps must be made, the cost of producing the caps is high and the resultant costs associated with shipping and storage are also high. This results in increased costs needed to meet the customer's needs. For example, manufacturers typically manufacture a large number of caps for each size and retailers typically stock several lots of caps for each size. On the other hand, size adjustable caps with size adjusting devices typically do not provide wearers with an exact fit and when adjustment is improper, wrinkles are caused in the cap and the shape of cap degrades. Free size caps, which fit a number of head sizes without an adjustment mechanism, usually include a crown portion that includes a stretchable multi-gore shell, a visor portion projecting from the crown and a sweatband connected to the lower peripheral edge of the crown portion. In such free size caps, at least one of the gores of the crown is made of stretchable fabric and the caps include a stretchable sweatband extending along the circumferential direction of the cap so that it is capable of custom fitting all wearers within a predetermined range of head sizes. However, such free size caps lack the ability to support and maintain a predetermined shape of the crown and they suffer from distortion due to the elastic yarn contained in the fabric of the crown and/or sweatband. In addition, the stretchability of the sweatband in the front portion is not as high as that of the sweatband in the rear part due to the stiff visor.
What is needed is a cap that fits a number of head sizes, like a free size cap, but will support and maintain a crown shape so that the crown is not distorted.